Footboard ventilation for motor-vehicles.



G. R. WADSWORTH. I ,FOOTBOABD VENTILATION FOB MOTOR VEHICLES;

APPLIOATION FILED NQV. 8, 1911.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

In 0. n't'ol" G. R. WADSWORTH.

FDOTBOABD VENTILATION FOB MOTOR VEEIGLES.

APPLI OATIOK FILED 8, 1911.

Patented-Apr. 28, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.licuen (an "UNITED STATES PATENT o mo GEORGE E.- WADSWOR'IH, E cLEvEmm'), euro, fissr'orron 'ro THE PEERLESS MOTO CAR COMPANY, or oLEvEnn'ND,

onio, A conroa mn or OHIO.

roornonrm vnnrmrron' roE IIGiTdfi-VEHICLES. I

Specification of Letters Fatent. Application filed November 8, 1911. Serial m. 659,162.

Patented. Apr. 28, 1914.

Te-all' whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. VVAns-v won'rrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at' Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Foot-board Ventilation for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 1

This invention relates to'motor vehicles and particularly to those propelled by internal combustion engines.

. Nearly all motor vehicles of the type above stated become more or less hot along the footboa-rd' and bottom of the body due to the heat which is radiated from the engine and drifts back beneaththe footboard and the car body, butin amachine having a body open at the sides opposite the footboard, the heating of the latter-is not excessive for the reason that when the car is in motion, there is always a good-circulation of air over the foot-board. However, in- Inachines'having fore doors or other types of closed bodies, such as the torpedo type, this circulation of air over the footboard is prevented, and the latter becomes excessively warm weather.

and uncomfortably hot, particularly in It is the object of the present invention to prevent the heating of the footboard, by heat from the engine, and this I attain. by causing a circulation of cool air to be maintained along the bottom ofthe footboard.

I consider it within the scope of my invention to cool the footboard in a variety of ways but I prefer to create the cooling cir-' culation of air by the movement of the machine, which I provide with one or more'air receiving chambers or ventilating openings into which air rushes when the car is in motion, and is then directed back along the' footboard through a suitable air space so as to produce the desired results.

- In the drawings, I have illustrated two slightly diiferent ways of accomplishing the result by the method above stated, and in the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a car equippedwith one form of my invention, portions being broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; Fig.3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification wherein the ventilator or openings for the admission of J cooling air currents arei-n the dash; Fig. 4-

is' a sectional: view substantially along the line' k tof-Fi 3, looking in the direction,

hood 13 which incloses the internal combust'ion-engine,--not shown. All these parts may be of the usual or any preferred construction, and I do not consider it necessary to illustrate ordescribe thenr further. i

The" car is provided with afootboard 14 which is inclined as in the usual construe non. This footboard connects onto the for- Y wardporti cn of the floor or bottom board 15.- Secured to the lower side of the foot- .board 14 is a plate 16 which is held a predetermined distance from the footboard by spacing members 17 thereby forming along the lower side of the whole of the footboard an air space 19" for the circulation of the cooling air currents. While I do not regard it as essential, I prefer to continue thisai-r' space rearwardly for a suitable distance along the bottom board 15. I therefore pro vide along the lower side of the bottom board, a plate 1-9' which is similar to and is spaced from the bottom board in the same manner that the plate 16 is spaced from the footboard. These two plates 16 and 19 overlap or match when the foot-board is in place, thus providing a continuous air space.

To create the proper circulation through the air space 18, I employ one or more air inlet members .or ventilators 20, two being here shown, each of which are provided at the front with an air inlet opening which may be covered with a suitable screen 21 to exclude dirt, dust and the'like. air inlet members is employed on each side of the machine, and each is secured, in the present case, to the machine beneath the portions of the body which overhang the frame 12. Just above the air inlet members 20, the overhanging portions of the car body are provided with suitable openings, through One of these as a which air. may pass into the forward portion of 'the body beneath the footboards. To

footboard and bottom board,'I employupright metal guide plates 22 which are 10- municate laterally with the air space 18.

the car is in motion, air rushes into the air footboard, and thence passes laterallyv and tion of cool air beneath the footboard and the body does not overhang the frame as screened are provided in the dash 24-. above 5 These inlet openings. communicate with air gchambers 25 which conduct 'air to the air scribed. .With this arrangement, the same the car is in motion as in the construction I can, be maintained in cool condition;

vention is susceptible of considerable modicated beneath the footboard in the forward portion of the body, these plates being some what triangular in shape and forming with the car body chambers or ducts which C0111".

The result of this construction is that when inlet members 20 and thence passes upwardly. into the air space 18 beneath the downwardly so as to circulate Well along the entire lower surface of the same, and out through the rear end of the air space 18. By this method, there is a suflicient circulashown in Figs. 1 and 2. In, this case, air inlet openings or ventilators 23 suitably the frame and on opposite sides of the hood.

space beneath the foot-board, .as first deefiect-ive circulation ofair is obtainedwhen first described,and the footboard, and if desired or necessary, also a portion of the floor It' will be obvious therefore that my infication, and I do not desire to be confined I to the articular forms shown, .but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which I do not involve .a departure from the spirit l and scope of my invention in its broad aspect.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: a

1. In a motor vehicle of the type havin a power plant at the forward end of the vehicle, a body, a hood ada ted to inclose the power plant and locate in front of the body, a foot-board at the forward art of the body at the rear of the hood, said foot board having associated therewith a cooling air space through which air may sweep rearwardly along the same, and means for conducting cooling air currents to opposite sides of the'forward portion of said s ace, said means having at opposite sides 0 the hood outside of the same and at the forward portion of the body, forwardly facing air inlet openings.

2. In a motor vehicle, of the type having a power plant at the forward end thereof, a hood .in front of said body and adapted to inclose a power plant, a double footboard at the forward portion of the body rearwardly of the hood, said double foot-board comprising upper and lower members with an air space between the same, and open at the rear, arid means for conducting cooling air currents toopposite sides of the forward portion of said space, said means having at opposite sides of the, hood outside of the same and at the forward portion of the body forwardly facing air inlet openings.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. GEORGE R. WADSWORTH. Witnesses:

H. R. SULLIVAN, A. F. Kwls. 

